The Euro was officially created on 1st January 1999.
At that date the exchange rate between the old currencies and the Euro was fixed, and banking was done in Euros. The old notes and coins continued to circulate, even though (legally) a 10 DM note was actually a € 10/1.95583 note.
Euro notes and coins were first issued on 1st January 2002.
In the following months the old notes and coins were withdrawn from circulation.
Since then other countries have adopted the Euro. See the table below for a full list.
CurrencyExchange rate to EuroAdopted Euro
Austrian schilling13.760301/01/1999Belgian franc40.339901/01/1999Cypriot pound0.58527401/01/2008Dutch guilder2.2037101/01/1999Estonian kroon15.646601/01/2011Finnish markka5.9457301/01/1999French franc6.5595701/01/1999German mark1.9558301/01/1999Greek drachma340.7501/01/2001Irish pound0.78756401/01/1999Italian lira1936.2701/01/1999Luxembourgish franc40.339901/01/1999Maltese lira0.429301/01/2008Portuguese escudo200.48201/01/1999Slovak koruna30.12601/01/2009Slovenian tolar239.6401/01/2007Spanish peseta166.38601/01/1999
1999 was the formal introduction. Som other countries have adopted the Euro after that.
The Netherlands, before they adopted the euro in 2002.
In 1999 France adopted the Euro, replacing the Franc.
The name of the currceny or the European Monetary Union(EMU), the euro, was officially adopted on 16 December 1995. It was introduced to the world financial markets as an accounting currency, that is to say a currency without physical coins or bank notes, on 1 January 1999. And the actual notes and coins were first entered into circulation on 1 January 2002.
Spain used the Peseta before they changed to the Euro.
Estonia adopted the the euro as its currency on the 1st of January 2011.
Belgium adopted the Euro in paper and coin in 2002.
Euro. symbol €The Euro
Before Italy adopted the Euro, the Italian currency was the Lira.
1999 was the formal introduction. Som other countries have adopted the Euro after that.
Estonia.
Francs
Peseta
The European Union's main currency is the Euro. All member states have adopted the Euro except for Great Britain and Denmark.
Estonia adopted the Euro as its currency on the 1st of January 2011, to become the 17th country to join the Euro.
In 2002, 12 of the 15 members at that time, adopted the Euro as their currency. As of the 1st of January 2011 there are now 17 of the 27 members using the Euro.
The economy of countries that have adopted the Euro has worsened with double dip recession. High unemployment, increase in public debt, and financial fragility is seen.